What Brings Us Back Again
by MissKellyAnne
Summary: Patrick/Emily! After everything surrounding Cibola dies down, Patrick and Emily have that little conversation. The one they've both been dreading. One-shot.


A/N: Okay... this is my second story. I wrote it because I don't think that Patrick and Emily would go right back to the perfect couple right away. I hope you like it!

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Patrick wasn't able to get Emily's attentions until after the last artifact they would be taking from Cibola was placed carefully in the back of the van. If Emily had her way, she would be split into about a dozen pieces, each piece riding with each van that was filled with her newest and dearest artifacts.

Patrick followed her out from tunnel the construction workers had drilled into the side of rock that encased Cibola, all the way down to the water. She had quieted down, and Patrick didn't doubt for a second that she didn't know exactly what he wanted to talk about. She surprised him; she carefully leapt from stone to stone through the water, until she found a large enough rock for the two to sit on, overlooking the large body of water. Patrick was careful of falling as he followed her; he was never as graceful as she was.

She held her black leather gloves in her hands, looking up from the water and flashing him a smile as he took a seat next to her. A somewhat awkward silence fell over them, as they waited for the other to say something.

In some kind of repeat of every conversation they had had close to the end of their marriage, they both began to speak at once. Emily, surprising Patrick again, cleared her throat, and nodded at him to let him be the first.

Patrick took some time to recover, because his ex-wife seemed so much more... vulnerable now than she had, not five minutes earlier, yelling at the driver of the last van to be careful. He cleared his throat. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened in the... in Cibola."

Emily nodded, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Of course," she answered, her eyes not meeting his.

Patrick studied Emily, noticing the subtle differences, not only the obvious ones, that separated her and the woman he had married so many years ago. The differences weren't so obvious when they had last spoken, with her barking orders around the site. There was a vulnerability about her, and it reminded him that a lot had changed between them; they were different people from when they divorced.

"I wanted to let you know what my intentions were..." Patrick continued, his voice wavering.

Emily looked up, with a fiery look in her eye, and Patrick revelled in the familiarity of it. "If you're going to tell me that it was a mistake, you can keep it." She made to stand up, but his hand on her arm stopped her. She met his eyes, and he was surprised, a little shocked even, to see tears.

"That wasn't what I was going to say. Now we know where Ben gets his assuming from," Patrick offered her a smile. She gave him one in return, albeit a weak one.

"I miss you Em," Patrick said, his hand squeezing her arm gently, before he let go of her. "I miss you more than I can admit. Until this whole Cibola mess, I was able to ignore it, to keep myself busy by helping Ben, Abby, and Reilly. But now, with you..." Patrick could feel her eyes on him, as he swallowed back the burning lump in his throat. "I don't know if I could handle losing you again."

He could feel her shift herself closer to his side. "Things have changed, Patrick. We've changed." Emily's voice wavered, before she paused. "How do we know that it won't happen again? We fight like cats and dogs." Her voice was so soft and low, Patrick wasn't sure if he was meant to hear it.

Swallowing much more than his pride, Patrick reached over and clasped Emily's small, slender hand in his own. She looked up at him, a tear finally making its way down her cheek. He wiped it away, and gave her a smile. "Because I'm not going to leave you. Because we're in this together now. We're going to fight – that's what we do. But this time, I'm not going to let you walk out that door."

Patrick watched her swallow back the rest of her tears – one tear was too much crying for her. She sniffed, and looked up at him. "When did you finally learn to say something right?" she asked.

Patrick let out a laugh, again revelling in the familiarity of Emily. "Around the same time you learned that you can't do everything yourself. And that it's okay to vulnerable sometimes," Patrick spoke honestly.

A silence came over the two, as they stared out at the water. Patrick watched the gentle breeze send ripples into the water below them. "I'm sorry I left you in your office."

Emily shuffled her feet. "What do you mean?"

Patrick gripped her hand with both of his. She looked into his eyes as they began to tear up once more. "I didn't understand the message you sent back to Ben until he said it. I was too preoccupied with... with trying to find a way back to you. I should never have left you in that office; if I had been paying attention, I would have realized that Mitch was there."

Emily placed her other hand on his cheek. "He would have had us both then and no way to –"

"Seeing you with that gun pressed against your hip... was the scariest moment of my life," Patrick interrupted her.

That was Emily's breaking point. She let out a whimper, as she dived into his arms completely. Patrick didn't remember to feel surprised at her once again, but instead wrapped his arms around her tightly. He buried his face in her hair, falling in love with her all over again when he realized she still used the same shampoo. "I love you Em," he whispered into her hair.

"Please don't leave me again," she answered. Patrick's heart broke when he began to feel her tears through his shirt.

"Never again," he replied.

It was moments later, when Emily pulled away from him to sit up properly. She took deep breaths to calm herself. Patrick watched her carefully. "What happens now?" he asked, fully intending to let her choose the speed of their on-again relationship.

Emily took a few moments to herself, before she answered him. "I think... I think I'd like to move back in with you. In a few months," she looked up to see his reaction.

He smiled, a happy feeling swelling inside him. "That sounds perfect." Unsure as to what exact role she wanted him to play – could he kiss her when he wanted to? – he tentatively pulled her closer, and kissed her forehead. She looked up at him, with a smile, and kissed him, leaving them both completely breathless.

She pulled away, stood up, and Patrick smiled up at her. "But," she raised her eyebrow at him, and placed a hand on her hip, "you are not touching my toothbrush."

She jumped down from the rock, and made her way gracefully towards solid land. Patrick chuckled, deciding to let her win this one – they would have plenty more fights for him to win later.


End file.
